Hay-loader.



J. DAIN.

HAY LOADER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 20. 1907.

' Patented ()0t'26, 1915.

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coLuMBlA PLANOGRAPH C0.. WASHINGTON. D. c.

JOSEPH DAIN, or orrumwa, Iowa, Assmnon To DAIN MANUFACTURING COMPANY or IOWA, F OTTUMWA, IOWA.

. HAY-LOADER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented 001;, 26, 1915,

Application filed July 20, 1907. I Serial No. 384,688.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrn: DAIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ottum wa, in the county of Wapello and State of Iowa,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hay-Loaders, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to hay loaders, and has particularly for its object to provide certain improvements in hay loaders by which the hay loader will be better adapted for raking windrows or swaths.

To this end my invention viding the loader with a transversely-arranged board adapted to be folded down so as to extendacross the elevator frame at or near the bottom thereof. Said board is also arranged to be folded up so as to on large the size of the open space at the lower end of the loader, when desired. Suitable springs are provided which operate to hold the board in either position.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the preferred embodiment of my invention, Figure 1 is a partial side view of a loader frame; Fig.2 is an under-side view of one end portion of the same; Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4: is. a section on line i4 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the pivot castings by which the board is secured to the elevator frame.

Referring to the drawings, 6 indicates the bottom of the elevatorframe of a loader, and 7 one of the side boards thereof.

-8 indicates a standard, one ofwhich rises at each side of the elevator frame.

9 indicates aboard which extends transversely across the elevator frame and is hinged or pivoted at its upper edge so that it may be turned down toform an extension of the elevator frame at its lower end or may be turned up out of operative position, as illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 1; The bottom board 9 is provided at each end with a pivot casting 10 preferably secured at the end of the board, each of said castings having a pivot 11 which extends parallel with the upper edge of the board 9, as shown in Fig. 2. Said pivot 11 is adapted to, fit in a loop or bearing 12 carried by a strap 13, one

of which is secured near each end of the ele V vator frame. Thus the board 9 may be swung readily upward or dawnward, The.

, of the consists in propivot 11 is offset sufficiently so that when the board 9 is swung downward it is in line with and forms a continuation of the bottom elevator frame, as shown in Fig. l.

For-the purpose of holding the board 9 in either of its positions springs 14 are provided, one at each side of the loader frame, the upper end of each of said springs being secured to a bracket 15 carried by the standard '8, or to some other suitable support. The lower end of each of said springs is secured in an eyelG formed on the casting 10, as shownin Figs. 2 and 5. The point of attachment of the upper end of each of the springs '14 is so placed as to be substantially equidistant from the eye 16 when the board 9 is in either of its positions, as shown'in Fig. 1. Thus the spring is under substantially the same tension when the board is out of operative position as when it is in operative position, and serves to hold the board equally well in either position.

The loader is provided with the usual raking devices, such, illustrated and described in my Patents, No. 681,778, dated September 3, 1901, and No. 961,757. dated June 21, 1910. The raking. devices have not been shown in the drawings in order that the invention might be more clearlyillustrated, but the construc tion and operation of such devices are well understood and any suitable raking mechanism may be employed.

By the construction described I provide means at thelower end portion of the elevatorframe for varying the length thereof and thereby varying the height of the lower end of the elevator frame from. the ground so as to increase or diminish the size of the opening at that point. This makes my improved loader much more ef'hcient, since the loader will work advantageously on. either a swath or a windrow. If the opening at the bottom of the elevator frame were only such as would give the best results when the machine. were used on a swath, if the machine were driven over a windrow the hay would have a tendency to bunch at the bottom of the elevator frame and drag or be pushed ahead. On the other hand, if the opening were of a size which would best adapt the loader for takingwindrows only the loader would not do as satisfactory work aswhen loading from the swath for the reason that the rakes. would i-iave to gather ups S'llfilr for example, as those cientquantity of hay to fill the space between-the bottom of the elevator frame or deck and the ground before it would commence to move the hay up the deck orelevator frame. The gathering inof such a quantity of hay is 'quite a disadvantage on account of its rolling the hay over and over,

which destroys the leaf. By my invention,

- ahead of the elevator frame but passes under it freely to the rakes. On the other hand, in loading from a swath the bottom board is turned down so that the rakes readily elevate the hay over the elevator frame. By the use of my invention, therefore, the leader will work advantageously on either swath or windrow. Moreover, the extension or hinged board being retained in either position by means of the spring it may readily be adjusted from one position to the other by simply applying enough pressure to the board to stretch the spring past the center. l I

So far as Iain aware, no one has hereto-' fore provided a loader with means at the lower end portion thereof for varying the length of the elevator frame so as to increase or diminish the size of theopening or space between the lower end of the elevator frame and the ground. lily invention, therefore, 1s generlc 1n character and the claims hereinafter made are to be construed accordingly.

That which I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,

1. A hay-loader of the type described, comprising an inclined elevator frame provided with "a bottom, a member mounted at the lower portion of said elevator frame and movable into substantial alinement with the bottom thereof and adapted to be moved backout of operative position, and means for holding said member in operative position, whereby the elevator frame. may be used by itself when said member is in moperative position and may be extended when saidmember is in operative position.

2. A hay-loader of the type described, comprising an inclined elevator frame provided with a bottom, a member mounted at the lower portion of said elevator frame and movable into substantial alinement with the bottom thereof and adapted to be moved back out of operative position, and means for holding said member in inoperative position, whereby the elevator frame may be used by itself when said member is in inoperative position and maybe extended when said member is in operative position.

' extended when said member is in operative position.

a. A hay-loader of the type described, comprising an inclined elevator frame provided with. a bottom, a member pivotally mounted at the lower portion of said elevator frame and extending transversely thereof, said member being movable into substantial alinement with the bottom of said elevator frame and adapted to be moved back out of said operative position, and means for holding said member in operative position, whereby the elevator frame may be used by itself when said member is in inoperative position and may be extended when said member is in ope 'ative position.

5. A hay-loader of the type described, comprising an inclined elevator frame provided with a bottom, a member mounted at the lower portion of said elevator frame and movable into substantial alinement with the bottom thereof and adapted to bemoved back out of operative position, and means for yieldingly holding-said member'in operative position, whereby the elevator frame may be used by itself when said member is in inoperative position and maybe extended when said member is in operative position.

6. In a hay-loader of thetype described, an elevatorframe provided with a bottom and means for varying the operative length of the elevator frame, said meanscomprising atransversely-disposed member pivotally mounted at the lower end portion thereof and arranged to swing into operative relation therewith to form an extension offlsaid elevator-frame, and to be withdrawn out of operative position, and a spring connected with a'fixed portion of said elevator-frame and with said member Games of this patent maybe obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

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